In the Letters

The American broadcaster CNBC delivered a report in 2017 proving Warren Buffett’s optimism. Analysis of the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letters from 1977 to 2016 showed that Buffett looked optimistically toward the future in most letters.

Michael Toth, who conducted the review, said to CNBC, “He uses words like ‘outstanding,’ ‘excellent,’ and ‘extraordinary.’ To me this communicates that he has strong confidence in his optimism, and that he is comfortable committing to and expressing that optimism.”

Remarkably, Buffett only expressed a negative viewpoint 5 times in 40 years. Even when facing difficulties, he focused on how to overcome them. Toth commented, “The negative words he uses, particularly cases like ‘unusual’, and ‘difficult’ seem to refer to challenges and unique circumstances. To me this communicates that even in negativity, Buffett is thinking about solutions and charting a path forward.”